Head/Professor Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

AGU embraces the global community and welcomes leaders representing various identities, voices and perspectives. List any identities, voices and perspectives you would bring, including but not limited to nationality, regional representations, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and anything else you feel comfortable sharing.

I have worked extensively in large, diverse teams supporting broader participation and recognition. As head of a large department spanning a range of science domains, I bring leadership experience fostering inclusive environments, amplifying diverse perspectives, and ensuring equitable opportunities for collaboration, recognition, and success across disciplines, career stages, and identities. Throughout my career I have initiated or engaged in mentoring programs.

I bring perspectives shaped by a multidisciplinary career spanning academia, federal research, and international collaborations, primarily within the United States but with global engagement through NASA missions, international science boards and committees, and various science and engineering societies. My experience working across engineering, geophysics, and data science communities informs an interdisciplinary voice that bridges scientific and applied domains.

I bring lived experience navigating and improving representation in underrepresented fields. I am committed to elevating diverse scientific voices, fostering inclusive leadership, and ensuring that AGU reflects the breadth of excellence across identities, disciplines, and career paths. I engage in difficult conversations and address challenging issues directly whether interpersonal or related to science and society. I strive to create spaces where diverse identities, voices, and perspectives are heard, respected, included, and recognized even when perspectives differ.

Volunteer experience that you feel relates to this position:

Extensive leadership across NASA, academia, and international boards, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and mentorship aligned with AGU Fellows’ mission of scientific excellence and service. Served as President of AGU Nonlinear Geophysics, advancing community engagement and scientific leadership. Participated in AGU Diversity & Inclusion and Ethics task forces, supporting equity and broad participation. Led AGU Honors efforts as Ambassador Committee Chair and section honors chair, demonstrating commitment to recognizing excellence.

The College of Fellows Chair-Elect partners with the Chair and Past Chair to engage AGU Fellows in advancing the vision, values, mission and goals outlined in the AGU Strategic Plan. The Chair is also a member of the AGU Council which is a diverse forum of perspectives that meets throughout the year to provide input to the AGU Board, staff, and other parts of the organization. Three communities within the Council—committee / College of Fellows chairs, section leaders, and students and early career scientists—serve different roles in AGU and bring unique viewpoints to ongoing discussions.

The College of Fellows has a unique opportunity to engage Fellows in service of AGU’s vision, values, mission, and goals. How would you work in partnership with other leaders and staff to achieve that?

AGU’s strategic plan calls for catalyzing discovery and solutions, promoting an inclusive scientific culture, and building broad partnerships to address societal challenges. AGU Fellows represent a powerful resource to advance this vision as leaders, mentors, and trusted scientific voices.

To better engage Fellows, I would work with the Chair, Past Chair, Council members, and AGU staff to align activities with these strategic goals and build a more connected, responsive College. Key approaches include strengthening communication through newsletters, digital platforms, and orientation for new Fellows, and expanding participation in mentoring, science communication, and policy engagement. I would work to engage Fellows to contribute their knowledge and experience and strengthen mentoring networks across all career stages.

I would also engage Fellows in targeted advisory roles on emerging scientific and societal challenges, while fostering connections across AGU communities and with external partners to enhance the relevance and impact of science. Fellows should actively model equity, ethics, and respect in recognition and service. Leveraging my experience with other professional societies, I would help build partnerships that extend AGU’s reach and effectiveness.